Assembling mechanism for typographical composing machines



Dec. 18, 1956 P. HILPMAN 2,774,464

ASSEMBLING MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINES Filed May 11, 1953 Q ATTORNE rs United States Patent Paul Hilpman, Garden City,.N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation-of New York Application May 11, 1953, Serial No. 353,957

. 3 Claims. (Cl. 199-27) This invention relates to typographical composing machines, such as Linotype machines, wherein circulating matrices and eXpansible spacebands are composed in line in an assembling elevator under the influence of a constantly rotating starwheel. After a line is completely composed, the elevator is raised to position the line between a pair of depending fingers of a spring actuated delivery slide which thereupon moves to the left in order to shift the composed line from the assembling elevator into a line transporter or so-called first elevator, and at the same time inaugurate the operation of the machine.

In these machines, the spacebands are stacked in a storage box disposed above the assembling elevator and, when released, pass downwardly through a vertical chute into the path of the rotary starwheel which advances them in a facewise or lateral direction into the receiving end of the assembling elevator and against the tension of a line resistant finger attached to an assembler slide. The

matrices also, when released, are directed into the path of the rotary starwheel and are advanced into the assembling elevator in similar fashion.

While the above arrangement has served its purpose for many years, it nevertheless frequently happens, during rapid composition, that the matrices and spacebands (particularly the latter) upon'entering the assembling elevator fail to seat properly'therein upon? their respective horizontal supporting rails. As a result, further composition'vmust be suspended until the disturbance is rectified, The above condition becomes more serious inmodern high speed machines which are operated automatically by tape controlled mechanism such as that represented by the well known Teletypesetter. For example, if the longer and thicker wedge shaped member of a descending spaceband should fail to reach its proper position in the elevator, it may and usually does not only retard or prevent the entry thereinto of following matrices but, in addition, and due to its protrusion above the elevator,

may positively stop the upward movement of the latter before it arrives at the line delivery station. In the first instance, and because of the absence of the last matrix or matrices that should have been composed, an imperfect slug would be produced during the machine cycle and eventually have to be replaced. In the second instance, the offending spaceband probably would be damaged and likewise have to be repaired or discarded. Moreover, in these automatically operated machines, and through the failure of the assembling elevator to arrive 'at the line delivery station, the delivery slide would not be released to perform its normal line transfer function and the elevator then would be allowed to drop of its own weight until abruptly arrested by a stop element positioned beneath it. As a result, at least part of the composed line is jarred or shaken from the elevator and spilt over the floor.

The present invention is intended to obviate the above and other difliculties, and to this end the rotary starwheel is so mounted that, as a line is being composed or stacked in the elevator, it will be capable of overrunning its driving spindle under the impact of a descending spaceband or matrix, if the timing so requires.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely in preferred form and obviously many changes and variations may be made therein which still will be comprised within its scope. It therefore should be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing part ofthe assembling mechanism, including the driving pulley for the inclined assembler belt, a portion of the assembling elevator, the rotary starwheel, andthe spaceband box disposed above and in operative relation thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing, on an enlarged scale, the improved starwheel mounting, the receiving end portion of the assembling elevator, and indicating by the dotted lines the driving means for the starwheel;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the assembler chute block.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the matrices x and spacebands y, after being released from their respective places of storage by operation of a keyboard (not shown), are composed'in line in an assembling elevator 2 under the influence of a constantly rotating starwheel 3 and against an upstanding line resistant finger 4 of a hori;

zontal assembler slide 5. Upon release, the matrices x are directed vertically downward through adjacent channels of a partitioned front plate 6 onto an inclined delivery belt 7 and thence over'a curved chuteiblock 8 into the rotary path of the starwheel 3. The spacebands y are contained in a storage box 9 and, when released;

are adapted to drop endwise through a' vertically disposed chute 9 depending from the storage box and terminating directly-above'the starwheel 3 in spaced relation'the reto As the matrices x and spacebands y are caused to enter the assembling elevator 2 under the stacking influenceof the starwheel 3, they obtain the necessary support therein,

by the engagement of'their projecting ears with: corre: sponding supporting rails on the front and rears ide walls of the elevator.

stacking the matrices and spacebands, in the order of their release, into the receiving end of the assembling elevator 2.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the spindle 10 is rotatably mounted in a bearing thimble 11 of the front plate 6 and is driven by a gear 12 through the medium of a friction clutch which includes a pair of spaced-apart disk-like members 13* and 13 slidably mounted by means of a D-shaped key connection on a rearward extension 10* of the spindle. Adjacent the rear face of the front plate 6, the bearing thimble 11 is formed with a head portion 11 with a hollow hub portion 1 2 drilled through to accommodate the rearward extension 14% of the spindle and having an inside dimension large enough to accommodate the disk-like member 13 of the friction clutch. A stop shoulder 10', formed on the spindle 10 and located flush with the rear face of the bearing thimble 11, serves not only to locate the clutch member 13 longitudinally on the spindle but also serves, through said member, to prevent endwise displacement of the spindle in a forward direction. Any endwise displacement of the spindle in a rearward direction is prevented by a collar 1 0" formed 7 thereon and"ngag'i1ig barren eater the bearing 'thimble 10. V I r 7 t 7 V Therear clutch member 713? is held frictionallyengaged with th'e rear iace of the :gear hub portion 1 2 by a compressionspringlfl seated against a thumb screw 15 arid which also holds the forward face of the hub portion f rictionally engaged with the forward clutch member 13 The ttliiirnb iscrew 15 (Fig. 3) is threaded into tthe 7 free end of the rearward extension 1050f the spindle 10 so as to be capableof adjustment to regulate the tension 7 of the clutch spring 14 according *to theresis'tance normally presented re the starwheel 3 during "composition. p So far as described the parts, their construction and 'mode ioftoperationlare or may be the same ZSZCTIibOdld in .theco rninercial Linotype machines. 7

' The present invention, as previously-state is directed to imeanswhereby th e rotarystarwheel 3 is capable of running ahead of the driving'spindle 14} under the impact.

of either'a descending spaceband after its release from the storage box 9'or an approaching matrix as it is directed byttheichute plate 8 into the rotary'path of the starwheel. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the spindle 10, as shown in Figs; 2 and 3, is formed with a forward 7 cylindrical bearing portion 19 upon which the starwheel 3 is 'rotatably mounted. Said bearing portion is slightly reduced in diameter so as to present a shoulder 10 for locating the'starwheel in properly spaced relationto the front plate v6 before mentioned. At its front end, the

spindle is also provided with a ratchet wheel10 t which is securely fastened thereto and which is housed within a relatively large recess 3 formed in thetfront i I face of the starwheel 3. Elie required driving connections between'the pinion 10 and the starwheel 3 is established 'by a pawl 16 pivoted to the star'wheel a't'the'bottom'of the recess 3 and held normally engaged'with the'ra'tch'et speedtwhenev er it is subjected to the impact Ofgthfi fallin matrices or spacebands during line composition,

Theiaction of the parts will be clear'from Fig; 2 which i shows a falling spaceband as it is intercepted by one of 1 V the arms of the starwheel, a bad timing condition a which ifrequently leads toitrouble. When ,the starwheel V "Wheel"10 byalightlspring 16 'Thusf'it will be'seen that, while the starwheel3 will positively be driven in the proper direction to perform its regular stacking function, it also will be'permitted to overrun its normal rotational is made fast to its driving'spindle, the'spaceba nd does not descend far enough to beadvanced properly into the assembling Q elevator by the following arm of i the" star- 7 'wheel. a When, however, the starwhe'el'is free to rotate V ahead of the driving spindle, as herein, the'spaceband v will be free to continue its descent and be forced into th sewer eithe b the a m when immeiate reign or one of the other following arms-all depending upon the speed of travel of the jspaceband in relation to'the speed of rotation of the starwheel and the position of V the arms of thetstarwheel at the time. Once the space band and the starwheelnattain' normal spe ed, the .pawl

and ratchet coupling becomes immediately active and the 'spaceband will be f orced into the elevator in the normal way and against the tensionoffered by. the line resistant finger. V r 5 at t V 7 t The; pawl andratchetgcoupling isi especially adyanta geous in carrying out the invention; since there lis'no limitation placed'uponthe iree-wheeling of the starwheel I i and 'yetthe driving connection will/be immediately restored o'ncefthe proper timinggoftthe parts has: been established by-the parts-themselves;

What is claimedisz r 7 -15 Assembling mechanism fortypographicahmachines V equipped with gravitational matrices and expansible, spacebands, includingin combination, a constantly'rotat-j ting starwheel formed with a: plurality ofradial' arms,

a driving spindle therefor, an assembling elevator wherein V the matrices and spacebands are composed in line under the infl ence of the starwheel, and a pawl and ratchet free-wheeling driving coupling between the starwheel and the driving spindle whereby the starwheel is capable of;

turning about its axis in the direction of rotation of the spindle undertthe impact of a falling spaceband or matrix, a

said ratchet having a substantially greater numberbf teeth than there are arms 'on the'starwheel, and said pawl" being normally engaged with the ratchet to prevent the i starwheel from. turning about itsuax'isIin a direction' g opposite'to the direetion of rotation of the spindle: '7 i e 2. A combination according to clairr'i 1,.wher einfsaid' '7 p coupling includes a ratchet wheel secured to thetspindle, V and a spring pressed pawlattached to thest'arwhe'el and I normally engaged with the ratchet wheel.

' 3. A combination according totclaim t2, wherein the :3 a ratchet wheel and the pawl are housed'within a recess formed in thestarwheel. v V

r V Rf'rglrrce-rsiita in the fi 'Of his patent V Ul$IITEDSTATES-PATENTS i 253,889 7 "I Roberts new} Feb. "21, p 7 886,584 7 Dow1 Mayr5,"1908;-" l,'l49,767 Hor nans '-AugQ10, V V 1,818;946 Freund Augg ll, 19j11 12,097,732" Mead NOV; 2 19:37 t 2,342,850 7 Ferrn V Feb. 2 9, 19.44 2,409,009 Bakke 

